Vote to move forward with the War Powers Resolution, which is seen as an unprecedented rebuke to the president as pressure mounts to stop the US attack on Iran.
Published May 20, 2026
The US Senate has introduced a war powers resolution that would prevent President Donald Trump from using military force against Iran without Congressional approval as the fallout from the conflict grows.
A vote on procedural legislation to advance the resolution passed Tuesday by a 50-47 margin, with a handful of Republicans joining Democrats in passing the bill in an unusual rebuke from the president.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The poll showed that a small but growing number of Republicans, increasingly concerned about the war with no end in sight and a fragile ceasefire, are willing to challenge the president.
“This president is like a toddler playing with a loaded gun,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote.
“If ever there was a time to support our force resolution to withdraw our troops from hostilities with Iran, it is now.”
The result was a victory for lawmakers who had argued that Congress, not the president, should have the authority to send troops to war, as specified in the U.S. Constitution.
However, this is only a procedural vote, and the resolution faces high hurdles if it is to go into effect. Three Republicans were absent from Tuesday’s vote, but their votes alone would be enough to defeat the bill if they remain pro-war.
But even if the resolution ultimately passes in the 100-member Senate, it would need to pass the Republican-led House of Representatives and gain a two-thirds majority in both chambers to survive Trump’s expected veto.
President Trump’s Republicans have blocked seven previous attempts to push similar resolutions in the Senate this year. They also blocked three war powers resolutions on narrow votes in the House this year.
But Tuesday’s vote underscored the growing pressure on the president as the war against Iran that the United States and Israel launched in late February continues to wreak havoc on global energy markets and the country’s cost of living.
Democrats and some Republicans have called on Trump to go to Congress and seek authorization for war, with some expressing concern that the president has plunged the United States into a protracted conflict without a clear exit strategy.
The Trump administration says the president’s actions were lawful and within his rights as commander-in-chief, who also has a responsibility to protect the United States by ordering limited military operations.
Under the U.S. War Powers Act of 1973, passed in response to the Vietnam War, the U.S. president can only take military action for 60 days during a troop withdrawal, citing “unavoidable military necessity with regard to the safety of the United States military,” before ending the action or seeking approval from Congress or a 30-day extension.
President Trump declared on May 1 that the ceasefire with Iran meant that hostilities had “ended,” meaning the country had not been at war with Iran for more than 60 days.
Despite the president’s claims that the conflict has stopped, US forces continue to blockade Iranian ports and attack Iranian shipping, while Iranian forces have cut off access to the Strait of Hormuz and attacked US ships.
Polls show that American voters oppose the war, but legal experts widely believe that the war is a violation of international law.
